Horse racing
JOCKEY KILLED: A 16-year-old apprentice jockey was dragged to hisdeath by a runaway horse at a race meeting on Saturday in Wellington,New Zealand.
Sam McRae, who had been riding for four months, was dragged 900yards after he fell from his horse, Queen's Evidence, and his footbecame trapped in a stirrup.
He died of head and chest injuries, Riverton Racing Club chiefstipendiary steward Stewart Ching said.
Other jockeys in the 1,100-yard race were unable to stop McRae'sstartled mount until the field entered the finishing straight.
TOP HORSES MOVED: Kentucky Derby contender Sun King and 2004 Horseof the Year Ghostzapper were among two dozen horses moved toChurchill Downs from a Florida training facility where a bacterialdisease has been found.
The horses, trained by Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito, arrived atChurchill Downs on Friday and Saturday, said John Asher, vicepresident of communications for the track.
Frankel and Zito said they wanted to prevent a possible quarantineon the animals in Florida and any potential infection of thecontagious, potentially fatal disease known as strangles.
'I just want to get out of there before who knows, before itspreads or whatever,' Frankel told The (Louisville) Courier Journal.'I don't think it's going to be a big deal. But I don't want to takea chance of getting stuck there.'
Frankel flew in 15 horses, including Ghostzapper and LouisianaDerby winner High Limit on Friday. Zito's nine horses, including SunKing and Derby prospect Bellamy Road, arrived Saturday.
A Florida agriculture official told The Courier Journal onThursday that at least four horses that arrived at Palm Meadows fromChurchill Downs' Trackside training facility in January testedpositive for strangles this week. Gulfstream, about 40 miles south ofPalm Meadows in Hallandale Beach, has confirmed that the horses aretrained by Dale Romans, whose stable also had cases of strangles atChurchill in early winter.
Soccer
GERMAN FANS DETAINED: Slovenian police detained 38 German fans whorioted in a local hotel before Germany's 1-0 win in an exhibitiongame against Slovenia on Saturday. Twelve more fans were taken intocustody at the stadium.
Those detained downtown broke shop windows, damaged cars anddamaged property in the Hotel Europa, according to Harald Stenger,spokesman for the governing body of German soccer.
At Petrol Arena, German fans threw flares that had to be removedfrom the field and started ripping out seats and throwing them 20minutes into the game. Ushers, backed by riot police, moved in tocontain the fans, who responded by lighting another large flare.
DONOVAN ON MOVE?: Unhappy because of his lack of playing time inGermany, Landon Donovan could be headed back to Major League Socceror perhaps to another European club. Donovan has made just two startssince rejoining Bayer Leverkusen in January. While he got intoanother seven games as a substitute, it was mostly in the waningminutes.
'They've been very good about just saying, 'Look, we understandit's frustrating for you,' ' Donovan said Saturday. 'At the end ofthe day, I told them I need to play, so whether that means in MLS, inEngland, in Spain, wherever, I need to play.'
Kicker magazine in Germany reported Thursday that Donovan wasreturning to MLS, and the Los Angeles Times reported Friday that theLos Angeles Galaxy is close to sending forward Carlos Ruiz to Dallasso it can acquire Donovan from Bayer Leverkusen.
Softball
DUGOUT COLLAPSES: Four Texas softball players were hurt Saturdaywhen part of the team's dugout collapsed during a game againstKansas.
Tina Boutelle, Desiree Williams, Amy Bradford and Alexis Garciawere taken to St. David's Medical Center with injuries to their lowerlegs, school officials said. The injuries were not consideredserious.
The players were standing on a bench inside the dugout during thesecond inning when the bench and part of a cinderblock wall thatsupported it gave way, said Texas spokeswoman Barb Kowal.
The game, which had been earlier delayed by rain, was subsequentlycanceled.
Baseball
FENWAY IN WINTER: Boston's springtime baseball shrine could soonbe open for winter sports. The owners of the Boston Red Sox hope tobring ice skating to Fenway Park as a way to squeeze more revenue outof the smallest ballpark in the major leagues.
A seasonal rink built on top of the playing surface during theoffseason would host college hockey games and public skating. Theteam plans to apply to the city soon for a license for the rink, saidthe team's chief operating officer, Mike Dee. The rink could be openas early as the end of this year, he told The Boston Globe.
TROPHY HUNTERS: An online betting company said it will bid on thePittsburgh Pirates' 1979 World Series trophy at a bankruptcy auctionin hopes of being able to return it to the team.
'It would be a shame for this piece of Pittsburgh history to getlocked up in some collector's trophy case,' said Kevin King, managingpartner of Costa Rica-based Royal Sport. 'This is something we wouldbe happy to do for our thousands of Pennsylvania clients.'
The Allegheny Club, which has possession of the trophy, declaredbankruptcy in 2002 and its memorabilia collection might be sold topay its debts.
The club, which has since merged with the HYP Pittsburgh Club andis now known as The Allegheny HYP Club, says a New York collector hasalready offered $100,000 for its collection, but King said he doesn'tbelieve the offer exists.
Meanwhile, the Pirates are also seeking the trophy.
The team is trying to prove that its former owners, the Galbreathfamily, only loaned the trophy to the club, spokeswoman Patty Paytassaid.
A hearing is scheduled Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on theteam's emergency motion to prevent an auction before it can presentits argument.
Basketball
HENSON ON MEND: Former New Mexico State coach Lou Henson, strickenwith viral encephalitis six months ago, no longer needs a wheelchairto get around. Henson, who retired in January just 21 wins shy ofbecoming the fifth coach in Division I to win 800 games, saidSaturday he uses a cane or a walker for most activities. He had nomobility in his right leg for months after contracting the virus andwas confined to a wheelchair.
